Employee Recognition at UIC

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UIC has a long and cherished tradition of recognizing its employees for outstanding merit and years of service. UIC Human Resources works in conjunction with academic and administrative units and affiliated University organizations to honor these achievements at the annual Employee Recognition Award Ceremony held each fall.

In addition to service and merit recipients honored at the Employee Recognition Award Ceremony, numerous awards for faculty, research, and individual department achievements are awarded throughout the year by various University units and organizations.

Employee Recognition Month

Each November is Employee Recognition Month at UIC. This special time of year includes departmental ceremonies as well as campus wide programs, planned for the purpose of honoring faculty and staff. In addition to campus wide and individual department merit awards earned for outstanding achievements, UIC honors its employees for years of service beginning at five years and continuing after each five year increment. In 2017, UIC honored over 1,900 employees for years of service.

Employee Recognition Award Ceremony

The Employee Recognition Award Ceremony, held each year at the Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum at UIC (formerly known as the UIC Forum), is the official start of Employee Recognition Month. This campus wide program serves to publicly recognize work and community accomplishments which in turn help to build morale and motivate our employees. Employees with 25 or more years of service are honored, along with campus wide merit awards. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a reception will take place for all to visit and congratulate the recipients being honored. All members of the UIC community are welcome to attend.

2018 Event Information

The 2018 Employee Recognition Award Ceremony and Reception will be held on Tuesday, November 6, 2018 at the Isadore and Sadie Dorin Forum at UIC. We anticipate over 700 UIC employees and guests to attend the event to honor this year’s recipients. Those awards to be recognized include the Award of Merit, CAPE Award, Janice Watkins Award, and campus accolades of UI Health’s Employee of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Resident of the Year. Service Year Recognition honorees will include those celebrating 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of eligible service to the university.

2018 Award Recipients

See the links below for the names of those recipients of Service Year Recognition Awards, 5 through 45 years of service, the UIC Award of Merit, CAPE Award, Janice Watkins Award, & UI Health’s Employee of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Resident of the Year.

Employee Awards Honored at the Employee Recognition Award Ceremony

The Employee Recognition Award Ceremony will recognize Award of Merit recipients, CAPE recipients, Janice Watkins Award recipients, and UIC service honorees with 25 years or more in five year increments. Additional campus awards recognized are the UI Health honors of Employee of the Year, Physician of the Year, and Resident of the Year.

Service Recognition Awards

Service Recognition Awards recognize Academic Professionals and Civil Service employees and faculty for years of service to UIC in five-year increments starting with 25 years of service. Departmentally, employees are recognized for every 5 years of service.

Award of Merit

The Award of Merit recognizes outstanding Academic Professionals and Civil Service employees. It is a university-wide honor available to UIC campus staff who exhibit service, commitment, and dedication. Award recipients receive $2,500 and a memento gift. The included links will outline the nomination instructions, process and past recipients.

Please check back in April 2019 for the Award of Merit nomination form and instructions as the 2019 Employee Recognition nomination season is opened.

CAPE Award

The Chancellor’s Academic Professional Excellence Award (CAPE Award) was established in 1988. It recognizes the demonstrated excellence of Academic Professional staff. It encourages their professional development and indicates the institution’s high regard for the contributions of this key segment of the university community. The CAPE award is based on peer review broadly selected from the ranks of the Academic Professionals throughout campus. The CAPE Selection Committee is a standing committee of APAC and is chaired by an APAC member. The Selection Committee is made up of Academic Professionals from both the east and west campuses which may include past CAPE recipients. UIC faculty, Academic Professionals, Civil Service employees, and students can nominate a deserving Academic Professional for the award. In 2017 there were six recipients of the CAPE Award. Honorees receive memento gift, a $1,000 permanent increase to the individual’s salary, and a $2,000 one-time cash award.

Janice Watkins Award

The Janice Watkins Award recognizes exceptional Civil Service employees for their distinguished service to the University. Sponsored by the Staff Advisory Council, the design for the award is based on three interlocking components signifying the unity of faculty, staff, and students of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The award is a token of gratitude from the university and is awarded to Civil Service employees who exhibit a pleasant, warm demeanor and provide willing assistance to others and perform duties with diligence and dedication. The nominations can be submitted by faculty, staff, or students familiar with the nominee’s activities.

UI Health

Class Act Award, Employee of the Year, Physician of the Year,Resident of the Year

Hospital guests and staff may nominate UI Health employees for the Class Act Award and the Physician of the Year and Resident of the Year. These recipients continuously contribute to the delivery of world class patient care; regularly show good judgment and initiative; go above and beyond performance expectations; is a role model; demonstrates a willingness to become more efficient and effective when providing patient care; and exemplify the UI CARE behaviors.

The Employee of the Year recipient is selected by the employee recognition committee from the year’s Class Act recipients. This employee’s identity is announced at an annual dinner held in honor of the year’s Class Act awardees.